Indian Religious Leader: Gangraped Girl Equally Responsible

Asaram Bapu courted controversy after he said that the Delhi gangrape victim was equally responsible for the crime and the girl could have called her assailants brothers and begged them to stop.

Asaram’s remarks on the gangrape of the 23-year-old girl sparked condemnation across the political spectrum and from women’s bodies today with the BJP saying it was “regrettable, deeply disturbing and painful”.

Addressing his followers recently, Asaram said that when the girl encountered six drunk men “she should have taken God’s name and could have held the hand of one of the men and said I consider you as my brother and should have said to the other two ‘Brother I am helpless, you are my brother, my religious brother.’

She should have taken God’s name and held their hands and feet… then the misconduct wouldn’t have happened.”

He also went on to say, “Galti ek taraf se nahi hoti hai (mistake is not committed from one side).”

She totes wanted to get disemboweled. And I’m sure calling a dude “brother” and holding his feet would totally stop a vicious and pre-meditated attack. I’m really thankful that, as a woman, I can feel safe existing in public because I now know a simple system for stopping attacks.

Reminds me of Pervez Musharraf after Benazir Bhutto’s assassination: “For standing up outside the car, I think it was she to blame alone – nobody else.”

What kind of psychology would it take to heap blame on an innocent and recently murdered person? I think it helps distinguish between bad people and good people who commit bad acts. That kind of mindset points to “bad person.”